🪶 Joy Harjo R.A.C.E. Writing

Informational Text & Reading Comprehension | Grades 3–6

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month, poetry study, or Women’s History Month with this engaging, standards-aligned informational text resource. Students learn about Joy Harjo, the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate, while practicing close reading, note-taking, text evidence, and R.A.C.E. constructed response writing.

This ready-to-use packet blends nonfiction reading comprehension with structured paragraph writing to build confident, evidence-based thinkers.

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📸 Quick Snapshot

Perfect For:

• Native American Heritage Month

• Indigenous Peoples celebrations

• Poetry units (theme, imagery, voice)

• Women’s History Month

• R.A.C.E. writing practice

• ELA test prep

Skills Targeted:

• Informational text comprehension

• Textual evidence

• Close reading strategies

• Note-taking

• Constructed response writing

• Revision & editing

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🎯 If Your Students…

• Struggle to cite text evidence clearly

• Need structure when writing paragraphs

• Have difficulty organizing constructed responses

• Benefit from modeled writing and scaffolds

This resource provides explicit R.A.C.E. instruction (Restate, Answer, Cite, Explain) with templates, modeling, and differentiated comprehension practice.

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📦 What’s Included

✔️ Informational Passage: Joy Harjo: Voice of the Living Nations
✔️ Differentiated Comprehension Questions (MC + Higher-Order)
✔️ Textual Evidence Highlighting Guide
✔️ Note-Taking Graphic Organizer
✔️ R.A.C.E. Writing Prompt with Model Response
✔️ Paragraph Outline Template
✔️ Editing Checklist
✔️ CCSS Alignment (Grades 3–6)
✔️ Differentiation & Integration Guide

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⭐ Instructional Features

✅ Explicit R.A.C.E. Strategy Instruction
✅ Close Reading & Evidence Highlighting
✅ Scaffolded to Independent Practice
✅ Authentic Cultural Representation
✅ Test-Prep Ready Format
✅ Flexible for Whole Group, Small Group, or Centers

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🛠️ How to Use

Day 1: Read and annotate the informational passage.
Day 2: Complete comprehension questions with text evidence focus.
Day 3: Model R.A.C.E. response using provided template.
Day 4: Independent constructed response writing + revision checklist.

Extension: Connect to poetry study (imagery, theme, voice, cultural identity).

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📚 Instructional Impact

Students strengthen nonfiction reading comprehension while developing structured, evidence-based writing skills. This resource promotes cultural literacy, analytical thinking, and confidence in constructed responses aligned with Common Core expectations.

Representation matters—Joy Harjo’s leadership in literature expands students’ understanding of American voices and contemporary poetry.

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🌟 Bring poetry, culture, and strong female leadership into your classroom with this inspiring literacy resource.

Want to keep reading about inspiring women? Try: Madame CJ Walker Reading and Writing Resource

Follow Learning Between the Lines (LBTL) for more ready-to-use reading and writing resources that challenge and inspire students all year long.